Tara Murray
Point Cook Centrals held their nerve to win through to the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 4 finals on Saturday.
A spot in the top four was on the line for the Sharks and Bellbridge in their final round match, with the winner to play finals and the loser to miss out.
The Sharks batted first and made 9-148 from their overs.
Skipper Brett Talbot top scored with 30 in the middle. Andrew Wilks took three wickets for Bears.
Bellbridge was on top early in its run chase and seemed headed for finals. The Sharks fought back late and were able to bowl the Bears out with two overs remaining.
The margin was just six runs, with the Bears bowled out for 142.
Daniel Spencer top scored in the chase with 64, while Owen Doolan took three wickets for the Sharks.
Sharks captain Brett Talbot said it was a good feeling to play finals in their first season in division 4.
“We’ve been on a journey for a few years now,” he said. “We’ve gone up from division 5 into division 4 and we thought we’d have a chance to be in a finals position at the end of the season before the season began.”
Talbot said they started well with the bat on Saturday before falling away in the middle order to let Bellbridge back into the game.
He said while they would have liked more runs, the old runs on the board came into play.
“Our bowlers did a fantastic job, they bowled super tight,” he said. “ They were super ahead of the game and it does go through your mind.
“We’re a pretty positive team and believe we can win from anywhere.”
With the Sharks top side making finals, their top three teams will all feature in finals.
All three have gone up grades this season.
“Our seconds are third,” he said. “They had won two in a row in division 5 and have had a really good year.
“Our thirds have done up a couple of grades and are playing in another finals series. It’s very encouraging and exciting for everyone.
“Our women’s second team is also in finals and our under-17s were knocked out in the semi final, there’s still growth potential there.”
The Sharks first XI side will face Gellibrand in a knock out semi final on Saturday and Sunday.
Talbot knows they are underdogs.
“We’ve had four straight winning performances,” he said. “We’ve been putting everything together to be in a finals position.
“Last year we felt like we’d played our finals before we got to finals, this yar we’re still really energised.”
